Black Shadows on White Walls
by DarkHeartInTheSky
Summary: August 6, 1945: 80,000 people are dead. Kaiba's life ends. Not because he dies, but because he lives. And Yugi doesn't. One-Shot. Rivalshipping. Character Death.


**Rivalshipping is a bit of a guilty pleasure…I didn't really think I would ever write one (or, publish, I guess I should say) but you know what? I'm not afraid too. So here it is. A good friend of mine personally requested this. Please bear in mind that some things may not seem realistic on a historical level. I am not an expert at the subject at hand and did the best I could with the prompt I was given.**

** To Rival Lover: I hope you enjoy…. :)**

** I do not own Yugioh**

**In Memory of those who past, August 6, 1945. **

-0-0-0-0-0-

When the world came back to Kaiba the first thing he was aware of was the loud ringing in his ears. It vibrated through his skull, pounding on the insides of his brain, weaving its way through the neurons. Then there was the pain. A burning, fire hot, in his back and he ground his teeth together. He looked up at the sky. It was dark and dusty…he couldn't see the sun. It _was _daytime…wasn't it?

Kaiba forced himself into a sitting position. He was…outside. Behind him was the school swing set. It was empty, the two seats slowly moving back and forth. They were covered in a black blanket of soot. Kaiba clenched his eyes shut, the ringing in his ears still present. What happened? When he opened them, he spotted something in the distance, a figure, lying on the ground. Shakily, he stood to his feet and walked over. Each step caused him immense pain, but continued on. The figure was the near the school—that's right, he was at school…it was recess…

As Kaiba got closer, he recognized the hair. Or, what was left of it.

_No._

He ran. The pain shot up his spine, but he didn't care. He ran and fell to his knees before the figure lying face down in the dirt.

_No!_

Kaiba flipped Yugi onto his back and bit his lip. His face was bright red, covered in burns and welts. His uniform was singed.

"Yugi," Kaiba said, choking on rare tears. But he couldn't help himself. He looked up at the white walls of the school building. There was a black scar on the wall, perfectly matching Yugi's silhouette.

The ringing in his ears finally died. He was met with absolute silence.

"Yugi," Kaiba said again, his voice cracking. He shook Yugi harsh, but the younger teen remained unresponsive. "Yugi, wake up." He shook him harder, grabbing him by both shoulders. "Goddamn it, Yugi, this isn't funny! Wake up!" He pulled Yugi up into a sitting position supporting him by his shoulders, and his head lolled to the side. He was completely limp, his body nothing more than dead weight. Not thinking, blinded by his grief and rage, Kaiba slapped him. Hard. And he did nothing.

Tears slid down Kaiba's face. He struggled to remember what happened. Why was he here? Where the hell was everyone else? Why was Yugi's shadow painted on the wall? He pulled the unconscious—he was unconscious, he was just _unconscious,_ damnit!—figure to his chest, burying his face in what little remained of his hair.

_One Hour Earlier _

"Seto? Seto, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Come on, Seto, please? You know I don't like surprises."

Kaiba smirked, but looked back at Yugi who was following along. The two made their way out onto the edge of school yard, away from everyone else and the noise and annoying laughter. When Kaiba felt they were far away enough he turned around to face Yugi and gave him a soft smile. Yugi returned it gently, but looked back over his shoulder.

"Should we be this far out? It's not safe."

"Stop worrying," Kaiba muttered, extending his arm out. Yugi took it softly and Kaiba pulled him against his chest. "I just thought we could use a little privacy. Do you like the change of scenery?"

"Well, it is a lot nicer than the boy's bathroom."

"See? I knew you would like it."

"Yes, you're just so romantic."

Kaiba smiled. But he noticed something in Yugi's eyes. Something lingering, a ball of light in mist. He moved his hands down to Yugi's waist. "What's wrong?"

Yugi bit his lip. "I enlisted," he said after a moment's silence, giving a shy smile.

"What?" Kaiba felt the wind being knocked out of him. His stomach churned and he thought he was going to lose his lunch.

"I've joined the Army. I deploy in a few weeks."

Kaiba's whole world fell apart. He saw images of Yugi, bloodied and left for dead in a filthy trench. Or of him bound and gagged, left to rot in some enemy prison. His little Yugi, spending countless sleepless nights awake with a gun cocked and ready at his side, unsure of whether or not he would live to see the next sunrise.

And…a few weeks? He was leaving, the country, him, everything he had ever known, in just a few weeks?

"Seto?"

Kaiba swallowed a lump in his throat, his grip on Yugi tightening. "You…you didn't think to tell me earlier?"

"I—," A pause. Kaiba could see tears shining in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Kaiba could not look him in the eyes any longer. The grass was overgrown and in desperate need of a trim. "What does your brother think?"

"You're mad, aren't you?"  
"What does your brother think?" Kaiba shouted, his voice marinated in pain.

"Seto, look at me? Please?...Seto?" He could hear Yugi's voice cracking. "He's mad at me too…Please, Seto, I can't stand if both if you are mad at me."

"You enlisted and didn't tell anybody!" Kaiba glared at Yugi and watched him recoil. If he looked any what he felt, he knew he must have been terrifying. Some minute part of him that was still rationale wanted to apologize at once. But it was hard to hear as it was drowned out by the much larger part that was screaming inside his head.

"Why would you do that?" Kaiba's voice had turned to a raspy whisper. His throat was raw. "You hate violence. And you think you can just go out and _kill _people?"

"It's not like that," Yugi was crying, his voice so quiet it was nearly drowned out by the wind. "I…I want to help people. To give toys and candy to the little kids whose parents are dead…to give medicine to the elderly…To be useful and helpful…and…and maybe make a difference."

Kaiba held his breathe, afraid to speak that he would yell and scream and attract unnecessary attention.

"I—I thought you would be proud of me."

He released his grip on Yugi and stepped back.

"Say something?...At least Yami yelled at me."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Seto?"

"Leave me alone!"

"I-I know that this is hard for you…but p-please…can't we talk about this? We need to talk about this."

"Later. Maybe. I want to be left alone."

"O-okay." Yugi stepped back. "I'm sorry." He stood there for a second longer. "Seto?" Kaiba did not answer, to enraged. "Seto, I love you." Then he turned around and began the walk back to the school building. Once Kaiba was sure he was out of earshot, he screamed. He fell to his knees and punched and pulled at the grass, his hair. How could Yugi do this him? Did he do something wrong? Was he inattentive? Did he not tell him he loved him enough? Perhaps Yugi was lying; acting out in some twisted, teenage rebellion.

But Kaiba knew better. He could not fool himself. Yugi had been sincere. And he didn't lie. Kaiba soon found himself reduced to pitiful sobs. He never cried. Never. Not since the day his brother and parents died in that fire. He had been alone, always. Until Freshman year when he met Yugi and his overprotective, arrogant, son of a bitch brother. Kaiba and Yami had animosity between them. Kaiba had to beat Yami at everything so he could wipe that smug grin off his face. But he was never able to. And each time, he swore that he would be the victor next go round. And he never was.

Yugi came in sometime then. It was then that Kaiba made the biggest mistake of his life. Kaiba had fallen in love with his eyes. And his smile. His laugh, and the way his nose wrinkled when he did so. He was so smart and kind. He had fallen in love with him. He was the kindest person Kaiba had ever met.

And now he was going to lose him…

Kaiba regretted his words. Yugi was right; he should be proud and supportive. Yugi needed it now, from him; especially considering it sounded like he wasn't getting any from home. Kaiba could not imagine Yami mad at Yugi, yelling at him. The two of them were the definition of brotherly devotion.

He and Mokuba had been that before he died. He missed Mokuba. Mokuba had been his entire world, his best friend and when he died, a part of Kaiba died with him. He never healed, never got over it, instead letting the wound scab over, crust and occasionally bleed.

Then Yugi came along…and he changed everything. Yugi was more than a brother. He was his best friend, the love of his life. He wouldn't lose Yugi. He'd kill himself first.

But first he had to apologize.

He began to walk back towards the school building. Yugi was in his sight, alone, head down, shoulders limp at his side. Kaiba knew well enough that he was crying; his face hidden beneath his curtain of bangs, avoiding eye contact. Kaiba wanted to run to him; to grab him by the shoulders, spin him around and kiss him, over and over again. Kiss him and not care who saw or what they thought. He would kiss Yugi and hug and hold him and apologize over and over again.

His plan in set, Kaiba prepared a speech he would whisper in Yugi's ears.

But, out of nowhere, a large siren began to wail. It was deafening, Kaiba covered his ears with his hands, eyes widening in fear. He knew that alarm. What it meant.

He had to get back.

He ran. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him. The swam of students closer to the building began to run towards the doors in an unorganized, blind panic. Kaiba watched in horror as Yugi disappeared from his sight, getting lost in the crowd. He ran even faster, pushed himself. Pushed, pushed, pushed—

He saw Yugi, on the ground, hands covering his head as students proceeded to step over and trample him. In the small gaps of people, he somehow got onto his knees, then to his feet, unsteadily, shakily as people ran past him, hitting him. Until he was alone, outside the double steel doors. Everyone else had managed to get inside the school building.

Kaiba relaxed. Yugi turned and was about to run through the doors when—

He saw a flash of bright, bright white that came from nowhere, engulfing his entire vision and a blast of hot wind pushed him down to the ground from the back. Something screeched within his skull and Kaiba thought for just a moment that he was going to vomit.

Yugi, Yugi…where was Yugi?

Blackness ebbed into the corners of his vision, taking him within seconds.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

On his side, he had Yugi pulled up to his chest, positioned so that they were facing each other. Kaiba cried softly, whimpering as he idly played with his thumb a blonde bang of Yugi's that somehow remained intact. He pressed his lips to Yugi's forehead, allowing them to linger for several seconds. It reminded him of his and Yugi's first kiss. It seemed like such a long time ago now, looking back on it. They were alone, outside in the nearby park. It had been early in the evening, but because of the war people were afraid to send their children outside. After what had happened in America some time earlier, people were anxiously expecting their revenge.

He and Yugi sat on the grass, underneath a cherry blossom tree. One of the pink petals fell from its branch, landing in Yugi's hair. They were holding hands, and he had looked so beautiful sitting there, the sun set casting the most perfect shadow on his face, the flower in his hair. Kaiba leaned forward and felt Yugi's lips on his, the boy flinching slightly at the unexpected gesture, before he relaxed and leaned into it. It lasted for only a few seconds, but it had been the most perfect moment of his life. When they released, he heard Yugi chuckle softly.

"What's so funny?" Kaiba asked in a pseudo snarl. He could never be mad at Yugi.

"You taste like fish," Yugi murmured.

Kaiba snorted. "Sorry to disgust you."

"No, no," Yugi replied, wrapping his arms around the back of Kaiba's neck. "I like fish." He pulled Kaiba forward and they kissed again.

It had become sort of a tradition since then. Every time they kissed, they would tell each other what they tasted like. It was corny and stupid and childish….Kaiba himself hated it, found it demeaning and below his standards of intelligence. But, it had always made Yugi happy.

He would do anything to make Yugi happy.

Kaiba kissed Yugi on his lips, tensing when he did not feel the affection being returned. "You taste like peanut butter," he said softly. He pulled closer against his chest.

He heard footsteps approaching. He didn't care enough to look up. They were two people, adults. They sounded like the principal and a teacher.

"I can't believe it," a female voice said. "Everything….everything is gone."

"We were very lucky. The rest of the city is completely demolished. It was only a few kilometers from the school, I think. It's the only reason the school can still be standing," a male voice said.

"How are the students?"

"Terrified, like we all are. But unharmed, I think."

"Do you see that…oh my god, those are students!"

The footsteps ran towards him and Kaiba was pulled off Yugi. He screamed, thrashed against the arms that took Yugi away from him.

"No!" He screamed. "No, give him back, Yugi!"

"He's dead," the male voice said.

"No!" Kaiba screamed, refusing to look at the adults. He just wanted Yugi back. "He's just unconscious. He hit his head," Kaiba pleaded. "The other students—they knocked him down, stepped over him. He couldn't get inside in time, and he hit his head."

"That's Yugi Motou," the female voice said, on the verge of tears. "We must inform his brother."

"No!" Kaiba snapped, eyes clenched tight. "No, don't…don't let Yami see…" Kaiba knew what it felt like to lose his brother all those years ago. It was a pain he wouldn't he wish on his worst enemy.

He hadn't wished it. He hated, hated Yami! The only reason he tolerated the bastard was for Yugi's sake. But he was still Yami's brother.

And now he was dead.

"Yes, yes," the principal said, completely ignoring Kaiba's cries, "but I don't believe here is the place. Kaiba-san, would you…" the principal paused for a moment, staring at Kaiba's red eyes, before swallowing. "I know he was a very good friend of yours, but Motou-san needs to know. Do you think…you could take him to the nurse's office?"

Somehow, Kaiba found the strength to nod and stand. He bent down and took Yugi's limp form into his arms. His eyes did not open. His chest remained static. But Kaiba did no longer cry. His eyes had run dry. His throat raw from screaming. He held his lover closer against his chest, but he was stone cold. With his grip tight as it could be, Kaiba slowly trudged along, squashing the grass underneath his boots. When he rounded the corner of the school, with the adults only feet behind him, did he see what they were talking about.

Buildings that had once been a mere fifty yards away from the school, restaurants, stores, hospitals….they were all gone. Completely flattened, pieces of cement and wood were spread around everywhere in splintered bits. It made his heart drop into his stomach. It was all gone. Everything he had every known…the city he had grown up in…was gone. In one moment of pure white blindness. It was a miracle that the school was still standing, but now that he had a new vantage point, Kaiba could see it was barely alive. The front was completely black. The windows were shattered, the glass fragments spread everywhere. The gate, once tall and sturdy, was melted, limp and dangling.

What the hell happened?

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

He wasn't really there. His mind was falling in and out of awareness. He never went to sleep, but instead into a sense of utter blankness. Yugi was lying just feet away, on an uncomfortable bed. They were waiting for Yami to come.

Nobody listened to him.

Kaiba told them not to let Yami see. But they weren't listening.

Words floated him like dust. Small words that didn't make sense. Words like, atomic bomb, Little Boy…tens of thousands dead, Americans, revenge, Pearl Harbor. He didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that Yugi was dead.

His precious, perfect…everything was dead.

Had he been in pain? Had he been conscious as he took his last breath, his life flashing before his eyes? Were his last moments stuck in replay before the life left him?

Regardless, Kaiba had come to the awful conclusion—something that was bile in the back of his throat—that Yugi had died alone. He had died in his greatest fear.

And the last thing Kaiba did was yell at him. He became enraged with him. Crushed and stomped and defiled his dreams and wishes. All he wanted to do was help people…And Kaiba yelled at him for it. Their last moments together were not ones to be cherished or shared with anyone.

Yugi's last words to him had been "I love you". His last words to Yugi had been "Leave me alone." He had seen the hurt in Yugi's eyes, but he didn't apologize. He didn't call for Yugi to wait as he began to trudge back to the school building. He had been selfish, thinking of how Yugi's enlistment was going to affect him.

It didn't matter now, though…

He felt like he was going to be sick. Regret replaced everything else in his blood and mind.

"What's going on?"

Kaiba sat up at once, becoming dizzy. No, no…he couldn't.

"Why am I here?" Yami said. "What happened? What was that explosion?"

"Motou-san," the nurse began, her voice wavering, "there is something—,"

"No!" Kaiba yelled, standing up, walking over to Yami who was visibly distraught. "No, get him out of here, you can't let him see—,"

"What happened? What can't I see?"

"Motou-san, please listen-,"

Yami's face whitened. He peered over Kaiba's shoulder. "…."

"Yami…"

Without out saying anything, Yami pushed his way past Kaiba. Everyone held their breath as the only sound was Yami's scuffling footsteps. He stood at the foot of the bed where his dead brother lay. Kaiba watched him, feeling as though he were about to cry once again. Kaiba walked over and placed a gentle hand on Yami's shoulder. He knew the pain—

Yami pushed him off. "Yugi!" He cried, falling to his knees. "Y-Yugi—," He wrapped his hands around his brother's feet, burying his face is the softness of his calves. "Yugi…wake up….please…please?"

Yami pulled his brother off the bed, holding his head against his chest. His face was wet with tears. Kaiba had never seen Yami cry. He didn't know what to do or say. He stood there, useless.

"Motou-san," the nurse said, "I'm so very sorry, I-,"

"Shut up," Kaiba spat. He knew that was the last thing Yami needed to hear. When he was young and his family was taken from him, people had said the exact same thing to him. He hated them for it. Sorry…Sorry. What kind of thing was that to say? Sorry wasn't going to bring anyone back from the dead. It wasn't going to take away the pain, the emptiness. If anything, it made worse, dug in deeper to the pit in his heart.

"Wh-what happened?" Yami said after a while. His voice was dry and soft. He turned to face Kaiba.

"The alarm went off," Kaiba started, doing his best to avoid eye contact with Yami. He couldn't look at him. He couldn't see the pain he felt in his own heart and gut reflected in someone else. "The other students…he got pushed down and stepped on…he couldn't make it inside in time."

"Where were _you_?" His voice cracked, hoarse. It sounded like a dying animal, wounded and bleeding.

Kaiba, though surprised by the outburst, remained calm. But, he couldn't help but feel that…was Yami blaming him? "By the swings," Kaiba said eventually. "we were talking and…"

"He told you." Yami finished. "He told you. Did you yell at him too? Were your last words terrible, awful things?"

"I told him to leave me alone."

"I told him to go hell."

"What?"

"I was…upset. Beyond angry. Livid. Everything. How, I thought…how could he do this to me, to our family? What were you thinking, I said. You can't fight. You won't make it past basic training. And if by some miracle of God you do….you'll be killed in a matter of days.

"I didn't believe in him. And he died knowing that. I thought that maybe…maybe I could guilt him out of it. Out of his dream. God, I must be the world's worst brother."

Kaiba, not a man of compassion nor comfort, said nothing. How could Yugi have loved him? He was a distant, cold, cruel and angry man. Not so much unlike Yami, he realized with only a little bit of contempt. The man did just lose his brother after all.

But Kaiba lost the love of his life.

But Yugi—he was happy, saw the best in everyone, would sacrifice himself for a stranger and once he befriended someone, was friends with them for life. Yugi was beloved by everyone. He left a mark everywhere he went.

Perhaps he was insane. That's the only conclusion Kaiba could come too. Yugi loved him because he was insane. And Kaiba must have been insane himself. After his family died, he swore he would never love again. But then he met Yugi and just for him he let those walls crumble and now he was back at the beginning.

Everything he ever loved was taken from him.

Some Hours Later

Word spread quickly. How Yugi managed to be the only who died, Kaiba did not know. Just that the world was unfair. Good people died, evil people prospered and were immortal. But no one was crying, mourning. Why not, Kaiba demanded? Why the hell were they not crying? It was their fault he was dead, they didn't let himself inside. It was all their fault, they were the murderers, they killed him, they killed him, they stole him from Kaiba and they showed no fucking remorse at all.

Kaiba hated them. All of them. They were pathetic, nothing but gossips and whores, assholes and druggies. How could they not care? With his power and persuasion, Kaiba was sure he could have all of them—_all _of them—locked away on some remote island for the rest of their lives.

But he didn't care.

He was tired. So tired. And empty. He felt like crying, but he had cried so much (so freaking much, god he was such a baby, such a fucking baby) he couldn't cry anymore. Even if his pride forbade it, Yugi was worth his tears, no matter how stupid it made him feel.

His shadow was still there, painted on the wall of the school. Kaiba stood just a foot away from it. He stared at for what felt like forever. It was impeccable. It captured his height, the contours of his body, like the way he always buckled his knees when he was in crowds. And his hair. It somehow managed to get the shape of his hair perfect.

Kaiba didn't care that the city was on lockdown. That if he didn't get inside somewhere soon, the police would force him. Thousands of other people had died, but why couldn't he care for them? Yugi was the only one who mattered.

Kaiba reached out and touched the wall, placing his hand where Yugi's heart would have been. Where it used to be. And Kaiba couldn't help but feel….less empty. He still hurt in places he couldn't explain. He still felt like crying, falling to his knees, ripping out his hair, banging his fists on the ground and screaming, just screaming.

But he just stood there. And after several minutes, he returned to what was left of his home. The mansion was gone, nothing was left. But the guest house, surprisingly enough, still stood. It was blackened on the outside and the windows were broken, but it was okay. The furniture was aesthetically ruined. It was stained and there was soot in the cracks of the floor and the grout was black, but the couches and beds would still serve their purpose.

And as Kaiba lay down in bed that night, he thought he could be okay. He allowed himself to believe that Yugi would forgive him and look down on him. And Kaiba would try to continue life because it was what Yugi wanted. And though he knew it would be hard and lonely and not worth it, he would live because he didn't deserve to die. And he thought he could do it. He would be okay.

Until he went back to school the next day, and noticed that they painted over Yugi's shadow.

**Fin**


End file.
